USC women steamroll Alabama in SEC tourney, 77-35

Elem Ibiam scores 19 points and Ashley Bruner grabbed 14 boards to lift the Gamecocks to victory in the second round of the SEC tournament on Thursday in Duluth, Ga.

Staff and wire reports

DULUTH, Ga. — Elem Ibiam scored 19 points, Ashley Bruner pulled down 14 rebounds and No. 17 South Carolina easily defeated Alabama 77-35 in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday.Alabama's total was a record low for the tournament, one fewer than the 36 scored by Mississippi State in the Tide's 63-36 play-in victory Wednesday. That matched the 36 scored by Alabama against LSU in 2011 and by Mississippi against LSU in 2008The Gamecocks (24-6) will face No. 19 Texas A&M in the quarterfinals on Friday. The victory was their eighth straight over Alabama under fifth-year coach Dawn Staley.“I thought we played extremely well," Staley said. “We played with a lot of energy, especially in the second half. The second half is something we've really been concentrating on, getting off to better starts. I thought our players really concentrated on taking care of the basketball, getting the ball inside. We put a total 40 minutes together.”Alabama (13-18) ended the season by losing 11 of its last 12 games. Daisha Simmons led the Crimson Tide with 10 points.South Carolina began to assert its size and speed midway through the first half. Sancheon White's 3-pointer gave the Gamecocks their first double-digit lead, 21-9, 10:47 before halftime.

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